Well, here we are again. Let's break it down:
Best Picture
Will win: The Revenant
Could win: Spotlight
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Nominee prediction results: 7/8
I rarely agree with the Academy and this year is no exception. It is clear that The Revenant is the current favorite, with former frontrunner Spotlight very close behind. There could be a surprise but I doubt it. The sad thing is that the real masterpiece of the year has very little chance of winning.
Best Director
Will win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant)
Could win / Should win: George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
Iñárritu did a fine job but not better than last year's Birdman. I'm not a fan of that movie but he did a great work there and awarding him twice would be just too much. Besides, Miller is the one to reward for the best action movie in a very long time.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Will win / Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Could win: Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
It's time. That simple. He's performance is very good and he just deserves it after so long. Yet, many people still thing he shouldn't win. We will see if they have strong voices.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Will win / Should win: Brie Larson (Room)
Could win: No one else really...
Nominee prediction results: 5/5
I was surprised to be right about Lawrence being nominated again. But whatever, no one has any chance of winning except Larson. Ronan was a frontrunner early on but the awards started flying towards Larson. She certainly deserves it.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Will win: Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
Could win: Tom Hardy (The Revenant)
Should win: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
Nominee prediction results: 3/5
Now this is hard to predict. This category is frequently predictable but not this year. I'm predicting Stallone winning because he's very well liked and the performance is really touching, he gives the movie a father figure that just works. Rylance performance though is very subtle but just right, not flashy, very paced. And Tom Hardy could win if The Revenant just sweeps.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Will win / Should win:: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
Could win: Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
Vikander is the heart of the movie and we all know she should be on the leading category and not in this one. However, category fraud will give her her first Academy Awards. Only Winslet could spoil but she has only won awards when Vikander wasn't there. Besides, Vikander has Ex Machina and Testament of Youth in her favor.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will win / Should win: The Big Short
Could win: Room
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
The movie is just too good to leave empty handed. However, there are many fans of Room that may want to give another accolade to the movie.
Best Original Screenplay
Will win: Spotlight
Could win: Straight Outta Compton
Should win: Ex Machina or Inside Out
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
Sorry, I just couldn't decide for only one option as I loved Ex Machina and Inside Out. They were true beautiful stories, very well told and with fantastic scenes, all thanks to the screenplays. However this prize is probably Spotlight's. If it loses the top prize, this is the consolation prize. Yet, Straight Outta Compton could spoil in a year of controversy in the industry.
Best Animated Feature Film
Will win / Should win: Inside Out
Could win: ø
Nominee prediction results: 3/5
Inside Out is this year animation masterpiece although the list of nominees was just perfect this year.
Best Foreign Language Film
Will win: Son of Saul (Hungary)
Could win: Mustang (France)
Should win: You know...
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
I was happy to see my country nominated for the first time. That's always great. However, the Hungarian entry has won almost every prize this season (they do love WWII) and if someone spoils their party it will be the Turkish movie that represents France.
Best Documentary Feature Film
Will win / Should win: Amy
Could win: The Look of Silence
Nominee prediction results: 2/5
I loved Amy. So contemporary and, sadly, timeless. Yet, the choices are so varied a surprise could happen.
Best Documentary Short Subject
Will win: Body Team 12
Could win: Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
Should win: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Nominee prediction results: 3/5
Random guess. Didn't watch any of these. Sorry.
Best Live Action Short Film
Will win: Shok
Could win: Stutterer
Should win: No idea...
Nominee prediction results: 3/5
Didn't see them...
Best Animated Short Film
Will win: Prologue
Could win: Sanjay's Super Team
Should win: Bear Story
Nominee prediction results: 3/5
Another random guess based on images from all the short films.
Best Original Score
Will win / Should win: The Hateful Eight
Could win: Carol
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
Ennio Morricone is a legend and he deserves a prize for his work, even if he already has an honorary one.
Best Original Song
Will win: "Til it Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground
Could win: "Earned it" from Fifty Shades of Grey
Should win: "Manta Ray" from Racing Extinction
Nominee prediction results: 2/5
This is the crazy category, when anything can happen and it did. Three music stars nominated. I think it's Warren's time to finally win and Gaga fans can go insane.
Best Sound Editing
Will win / Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Could win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
That damn race! Just perfect.
Best Sound Mixing
Will win / Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Could win: The Revenant
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
So much action cannot go unnoticed.
Best Production Design
Will win / Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Could win: The Danish Girl
Nominee prediction results: 3/5
Those cars are insane. So much work and it was all worth it.
Best Cinematography
Will win / Should win: The Revenant
Could win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
Lubezki has won twice so maybe one would think it is too much. But it isn't. The guy is just brilliant. Although I wouldn't mind Seale or that poor Deakins winning.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Will win / Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Could win: The Revenant
Nominee prediction results: 2/3
Every character is an example of why Mad Max deserves this award.
Best Costume Design
Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Could win: The Revenant
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road or The Danish Girl
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
My runner up is The Revenant because many would vote for them for any category. Not me. I like all nominees but that dystopian future is just too good, on men and women.
Best Film Editing
Will win / Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Could win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Nominee prediction results: 3/5
The fact that Spolight is here is he only reason why the movie could still win Best Picture. Yet, it's a year of action movies so it would be shameful not to award this prize to any of the two action packed picture in the roster.
Best Visual Effects
Will win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Could win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should win: Ex Machina
Nominee prediction results: 4/5
The Revenant here means the Academy REALLY loved that movie because I have seen better FX in films not nominated. It's just nonsense. I take a leap of fate here, even if it may not be a very likely choice.
TOTALS
Mad Max: Fury Road > 6
The Revenant > 4
Amy, Body Team 12, Creed, The Big Short, The Danish Girl, The Hateful Eight, The Hunting Ground, Inside Out, Prologue, Room, Son of Saul, Spotlight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens > 1 each
This is it people. Let's hear it tomorrow night!
